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The Andalusian beach tennis delegation delivered a dominant performance at the European Junior Beach Tennis Championships in Heraklion, Crete, returning home with six medals across the under-14 and under-18 categories, according to reports from Fatenis and Diario de Almería. The regional standouts formed a core pillar of the Spanish national team, which captured a total of eight podium finishes—four golds, two silvers, and two bronzes—while claiming four of the six available European titles under the direction of coaches Grimanesa Santana and Moha Douri.
Jorge Méndez Leads U18 Campaign with Gold and Bronze
Almería native Jorge Méndez spearheaded the under-18 contingent in Greece by securing two medals. Méndez captured the European U18 men’s doubles title alongside partner Iker Mateos, defeating the Italian pairing of Alex Agirelli and Nicola de Siena in the final, as detailed by Fatenis. Méndez added a second podium finish by taking bronze in mixed doubles alongside Claudia Casas. Diario de Almería notes that Méndez also earned an additional silver in mixed doubles when pairing with Laura Jiménez, alongside a separate bronze in men’s doubles with Melilla’s Nicolás Volpe after a run halted only by France’s Louis Bepoldin and Paul Naboudet.
Liberto Amate Extends International Run in U14 Division
In the under-14 bracket, Liberto Amate capped a stellar month of international competition by claiming the European men’s doubles crown alongside Canary Islands partner Néstor Santana, defeating French opponents Ulysse Beal and Tom Dupuy in the title match. Amate also secured a silver medal in mixed doubles with fellow Almería player Jimena Hernández, falling in the final to Thiara Vallmitjana and Néstor Santana. According to Fatenis, this continental success followed a world title victory in Matosinhos and tournament wins in Italy just weeks prior.
Jimena Hernández Shines in Debut Call-Up
Making her first international appearance for the Spanish national team, Jimena Hernández made an immediate impact in the under-14 category. Hernández earned a bronze medal in women’s doubles paired with Thiara Vallmitjana, followed by the mixed doubles silver alongside Liberto Amate. The two podium finishes underscored a remarkably smooth transition to international-level competition for the young Andalusian.
Broad Regional Representation Shapes Spain’s Success
The broader Andalusian contingent contributed extensively across all tournament brackets hosted by Tennis Europe. In the under-18 women’s division, Laura Jiménez and María Gómez claimed a hard-fought silver medal after narrowly dropping a supertiebreak to Italy’s Elena Ciacci and Alice Pepa (6-2, 4-6, [11-9]), as reported by Diario de Almería. Almerians Lola Abadía and María Gómez also competed together in the U18 women’s doubles main draw, falling in the opening round to Latvia’s Ana and Marta Adrejeva, while Samuel Hernández reached ninth place with partner Axel González. In the under-14 ranks, Pedro Alonso finished fourth in men’s doubles with Tim Vallmitjana and seventh alongside Amate, while Marina García and Raúl Sánchez added further podium depth with a mixed doubles bronze and men’s doubles bronze respectively.
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